Halloween in KodiakKids and their parents in costumes ranging from sweet to scary trick-or-treated in downtown Kodiak on Halloween. The annual event draws hundreds, and there was a big crowd despite the persistent rain. Although costumes may have been covered by coats, that didn’t stop the kids from trooping in and out of most of the downtown businesses to collect candy. Signs on business doors welcomed trick-or-treaters, letting th...

Yes, dear Kodiak, I’m finally homeI saw Kodiak for the first time two weeks ago, culminating a journey that took 4,700 miles and 17 years. Kodiak was never in my mental geography until 1997, when I received a call from Robin Taylor, an outdoors journalist who wrote for a firearms magazine that I edited in Southern California. Taylor, based in Bellingham, Washington, called me in 1997 from Kodiak after his hunting trip in Juneau. He pitched a very ...

Assembly gets update on code revision effortThe Kodiak Island Borough Assembly received an update at Thursday’s work session about code revisions that affect all property in the borough. The Planning and Zoning Commission is working on updating titles 16, 17 and 18 of the KIB code. Those titles deal with subdivisions, zoning and borough lands, respectively. The Planning and Zoning Commission has held three of their four scheduled public hearings regarding t...

Strategic planning, nonprofit contingency funding discussed at work sessionThe Kodiak Island Borough Assembly discussed the strategic planning and budget process at Thursday’s work session. The current plan, a two-page document with 11 goals, was adopted in March to serve as the strategic plan for 2014 to 2018. “It’s the document that sets the assembly goals, what you folks want to have done through the year,” said Bud Cassidy, the borough manager. “Obviously, that has bearing on the bud...

Public Safety Blotter: Nov. 3October 18 • At 1:51 a.m., police conducted a security check on Mill Bay Road. • At 2:03 a.m., a 911 caller reported a dangerous driver on Thorsheim Street. It was gone when police arrived. • At 3:24 a.m., a caller reported a bear in the 1400 block of Larch Street. It was in a safe place, so police took no action. • At 4:24 a.m., police arrested a man on West Marine Way on suspicion of disorderly conduct. • At 4:3...

Fish Factor: Congress poised to cut fish pirates out of seafood tradeAlaska claimed the nation’s top three fishing ports for seafood catches last year, and wild salmon landings — 95 percent from Alaska — topped one billion pounds, an all time record and a 70 percent increase from 2012. That’s according to the annual Fisheries of the US report for 2013, just released by NOAA Fisheries. Dutch Harbor topped the list for landings for the 17th year running with 753 million pounds of fis...

Kodiak volleyball splits with PalmerIt was only fitting that the battle for the Northern Lights Conference’s top volleyball seed went the distance. Unfortunately, Kodiak wasn’t able to hold the lead. Palmer reeled off the final five points of the match and stunned Kodiak, 22-25, 25-20, 24-26, 25-16, 15-13 in the regular-season finale for both teams Saturday at Kodiak High School. With an 8-2 record, the Moose grabbed the top seed for the NLC Champio...

Watermelons might become part of Kodiak’s futureWhile scientists are trying to predict the consequences of climate change, some regions are said to fare much better than others as safe havens from floods, droughts and storms. California and the Southwest are not safe zones due to drought and wildfires. And you can forget much of the East Coast, too. Hurricanes and rising sea levels are predicted to turn much of the area into a flood zone by 2100, according to a...

Coast Guard responds to grounded bargeA 382-foot barge that officials said could potentially be carrying more than 2 million gallons of fuel products went aground Saturday about two miles from Kodiak. There were no injuries and no signs of pollution issues, officials said. The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the barge, which ran aground while being towed by the Bismark Sea, a 124-foot tug, a Coast Guard news release said. The barge was successfully refl...

Kodiak swimmers dominate at Region III ChampionshipsIt was a historic day for Kodiak’s swimming program at Saturday’s Region III Championships at Soldotna High School. The boys and girls cruised to team titles, while the Bears broke six regional records — four by the sibling duo of Tahna and Talon Lindquist, one by Ila Hughes and another in a relay. The girls picked up their eighth consecutive Region III title with 107 points, 39 points ahead of runner-up Soldotna....